Lewis Carroll

Victorian author · word play genius · mathematician · nonsense literature

Real name was Charles. He was born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, but he became famous under the pen name Lewis Carroll. He chose this name when he started publishing his creative work.

Alice was real. Carroll wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as a story for a real girl named Alice Liddell. She loved his silly tales so much he turned them into the most famous book ever about a girl falling down a rabbit hole.

Math plus magic. Carroll was a brilliant mathematician, and his love of logic and tricks with words show up all through his stories. The weird, rule-bending world of Wonderland actually reflects his real mathematical thinking.

Nonsense pioneer. He invented a whole new style of writing called literary nonsense, where words and logic don't work the way they normally do. His poem Jabberwocky is full of made-up words that somehow still make perfect sense.

Creative in everything. Carroll wasn't just a writer, he was also an accomplished photographer, poet, and Anglican deacon who loved puzzles and wordplay in every form.